Ben (album)
Ben is the second studio album by Michael Jackson, released by Motown Records on August 4, 1972, while Jackson was still a member of The Jackson 5. The album received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. Ben was more successful on the music charts than Jackson's previous studio album, having charted within the top ten on the Billboard ''200. Internationally, the album was less successful, peaking at No. 12 in Canada, while charting within the top 200 positions in Australia and France. Worldwide, ''Ben has sold a reported 5 million units. The album released one single, the title track "Ben", which was a commercial success on music charts, topping both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and the Australian ARIA charts, giving Jackson his first No. 1 single, domestically and internationally. "Ben" also charted within the top ten in other territories worldwide. "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" was planned to be released as the second single from the album, but was canceled for unspecified reasons. Two of the album's songs were "stripped" in 2009 as part of the three-disc compilation Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection. Background In January 1972, while still a member of the band, Jackson released his first studio album, entitled Got To Be There, under Motown Records. The album received generally mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. The album was not commercially successful worldwide, as well as not having a good chart performance on music charts. The album's three singles had a good chart performance on the Billboard Hot 100, with all charting within the top 20 positions on the chart, two peaking within the top five. Got to Be There was more successful in the U.S. than internationally, peaking at No. 14 on the Billboard 200 while peaking at number 37 in the UK and 121 in France. Music Recording sessions for Ben began in November 1971, concluding by February 1972 before Jackson's voice began to deepen. It was produced by six people, and executively produced by Berry Gordy. Songwriters for the ten tracks Ben has include Mel Larson, Jerry Marcellino, Thom Bell, Linda Creed, The Corporation, Smokey Robinson, and Ronald White, among others. Ben has R&B, contemporary pop rock and soul musical styles. The album's songs have a tempo ranging from 69 beats per minute on "Ben", to 130 on "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day". The album's title track, the theme song for the 1972 film of the same name (the sequel to the 1971 killer rat movie Willard), won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song. "What Goes Around Comes Around" has similarities to Jackson's older brother Jackie's single, "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)", which featured vocals from Jackson and his older brothers. For Ben, Jackson recorded a cover of The Temptations' 1964 single, "My Girl", a cover of The Stylistics' 1971 hit "People Make the World Go Round", a cover of Lionel Hampton's "Everybody's Somebody's Fool", a cover of Brenda Holloway's 1965 single, "You Can Cry on My Shoulder" and a cover of Stevie Wonder's 1968 single, "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day". "My Girl" has a funk rhythm and the song's score includes some call-and-response interaction, which is similar to what Jackson and his brothers displayed in their Jackson 5 material. "You Can Cry on My Shoulder" is a mid-tempo song. "We've Got a Good Thing Going" was previously issued as the B-side to "Got to Be There"'s "I Wanna Be Where You Are" and "In Our Small Way" was also featured on Jackson's previous album Got to Be There. Track listing Side one Side two Charts Weekly charts Singles Certifications